Pomegranate Juice
by Jounetsu-no-Hana
Summary: Rikku finds herself in a tough situation between someone new and someone old. And it's especially hard when the one you really want isn't exactly human!


**I have a fetish with FFX-2 don't I? It's just so easy to write about because I love the characters so much. I've already got personalities down for them. Anyway, this is supposed to be kinda funny. ONESHOT! I WILL STAND STRONG! And because you love me, pretend they are all the same age. Enjoy :D**

Rikku walked through the halls with a bounce in her step while holding a straw to her lips. She sucked Coke through it as someone behind her yelled after her. Another one of her admirers. Too bad for them she was playing it single for now. She flipped her hair over her shoulder without touching it just to please them a bit. She continued down the hall until she turned a corner and bumped into Gippal. Great. Another walk worthy or the catwalk, ruined. She shook her head.

"Jeez, look where you're going klutz." She said. He shrugged with a dazed look. "Gip?"

"She said yes." He said. Her mouth dropped in an astonished smile.

"She didn't." she said excitedly. He nodded with a stupid grin. Rikku jumped up and down with a squeal. "This is so exciting!" she said. Gippal had been moping to Rikku about how he didn't have the courage to ask Ann Conrad out on a date for weeks. Rikku had told him the same thing every time. No girl could resist him except her and Yuna. Now he finally asked her. And she said yes! They talked for awhile about how excited they both were until Rikku continued back to her dorm with Coke that had turned into sweetened ice water. Yuna laid stomach down on her bed. She looked up from her magazine briefly when Rikku walked in. Rikku finished her Coke and dragged the covers over her head to take a nap. Friday was her favorite day of the week. No classes. And the best part was that it was a boarding college.

-

Rikku woke up to see nothing. Just the dark. She squinted and flexed her eyebrows until it clicked in her head that it _might_ just be dark outside. She lazily bumped her palm on her forehead, in punishment for proving "blonde moments" that she didn't believe it. What's the point of calling them blonde moments if brunettes and redheads had them too? She stretched and arched her back against the bed and then reached over and turned the lamp on.

"BOO!" Someone yelled from the corner. Rikku screamed as loud as she could for a few seconds, and when she stopped heard laughing. She looked over to see Gippal seated in a chair.

"Gippal! Get _out_!" she yelled, throwing a moshi pillow at him. (Moshi pillows are those pillows that are kinda silky on the outside and have beads inside them. They're really comfy.) The beads in the pillow set it at an odd course and they sailed harmlessly by him. He looked at it, and then grinned at her smugly. "Shouldn't you be on your date?" she asked, turning away from him and tying up her hair with a small rubber hair band. It snapped by the third twist, and she growled. She tugged the drawer open and started poking through for a new hair band.

"It's eleven o'clock. My dates come and gone. I just came by to see what was going on and Yuna let me in, said hi and that you were sleeping and then she left with Tidus and some other girl." He said. Rikku rubbed her eyes and looked down, straightening her tank top on her chest. Gippal spun his eyes to the ceiling. "Damn, Cid's Girl!" he exclaimed. Rikku looked at him quizzically until she realized he wasn't looking down any time soon.

"_What_?" She asked.

"You make it so fricken _easy_ for a guy to… _think_."

"Thinking is terrible?" she asked.

"When a guy is." He said with a grin. Rikku shook her head. His eye rolled down a bit to see Rikku putting a hoodie on. He nodded in approval and looked at her again. She stretched her arms over her head.

"So how'd it go?" she asked as he tugged out his mp3 player and put the huge headphones over his ears like they were earmuffs.  
"Alright." He replied simply. When his mp3 player was out, the earth was no longer there. "Well shake it up baby now! Twist and shout!" he started singing with his eyes closed and his fingers tapping against his mp3 player to the beat. Rikku shook her head. Gippal had an unhealthy obsession with The Beatles. She reached over and tugged an earphone away from his head.

"Any _action_?" she asked in a suggestive voice. He grinned.

"Maybe." He remarked, pausing his mp3 and resting the headphones on his shoulders wrapped around his neck. Rikku sighed.

"You guys really are cute together. I wonder why I'm still single…?" she asked. They both knew that she was just fishing for compliments, but Gippal was always up for the challenge to practice enticing someone.

"Maybe because you're just so gorgeous that they are terrified to even approach you. They're afraid the moment your intoxicating voice utters their name they will be lost to a disease called unrequited love for all eternity. And _that_ is why the beautiful are meant to be lonely unless they find someone equaling their own beauty so that they may wallow in each others presence comfortably." He was trying to be sarcastic. Rikku rolled her eyes at him. He threw a dazzling smile at her and started singing again.

"Hey Jude. Don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better."

"Sixties child." She dubbed him. Her father had always called her an eighties child because she liked eighties rock.

"I wish. Just a well raised child. So, since you've been sleeping all day, you must be well energized. Up for a night of mischief around campus?" he asked. Rikku pondered it for a few seconds, an undecided face wrinkling her forehead. She finally shook her head.

"I think I'm gonna read tonight." She said. Gippal started spinning the Claddagh ring that her grandfather gave her around her finger. (They are the rings with the heart in the middle, two hands holding it and a crown on top. It's bad luck if someone doesn't give it _to_ you :D Fun fact. My grandparents gave me one this week from Ireland. BACK TO THE STORY)

"Please? I don't wanna go to bed _yet_. My roommates are so stupid; they always got pot or something outside the window. As if my allergies weren't bad enough." He stated. He started flipping through his music again. He started moving his hands to a beat as if he had drumsticks in his hand and turned it to Rikku's eyes when she stopped him to see what he was listening to. Coheed and Cambria. Typical.

"Why don't you get a room change then?" She asked as she snuggled into her covers again. He just shrugged.

"I'm a guy. I only complain to my pals when I'm pissed off." He stated with as much of an answer as she could hope for.

"Well, you should go to bed. I'll hang out with you tomorrow night. Sound good?" Rikku said. He sighed but nodded, humming a song under his breath as he left her room, shutting the door after him.

Rikku tugged her book out from her drawer and read for an hour until she became thirsty. She looked in the miniature fridge that she and Yuna had, but it was full of vitamin water. Rikku wasn't a big fan of those. If you want juice, get Gatorade, like people with _souls_ actually drink. She and Gippal had come to the conclusion that if you drink vitamin water, you have no soul, therefore you're boring. This described Yuna very nicely.

Rikku left her room and trotted down the hallway, dreading having to walk through those halls that felt straight out of a college murder mystery. She eventually got to the soda machine and pulled out a dollar, shoving it into the slot. She then pushed for a coke. And then she waited. Five seconds. Ten seconds. She soon after realized her Coke wasn't coming. She huffed exasperatedly and pressed the Coke button repeatedly. She then kicked the machine.

"Whoa. It's not coming like _that_." Someone said behind her. She turned and saw Narcissus himself. Well, not really, but he could be. Rikku couldn't make out exactly what color his eyes were but they seemed to shine brightly in the shadows. She felt speechless. This wasn't a good sign. "Want some help?" he asked, holding up a key ring. She grinned and nodded. He opened it with his key and handed her a Coke. "It was empty." He stated plainly, turning to leave. He started walking away, and then turned halfway on a heel. "I'm Aidan, by the way." He said. He started walking away again when Rikku croaked out,

"Rikku." She cleared her throat. "Me llamo Rikku." She said with the most dazzling and practiced smile she had. Ooo. He looked interested. She had him.

"Oh, she speaks Spanish too. So you're the famous Rikku all the sophomores talk about." He said.

"Talk about _me_?" she asked, trying to sound surprised. He smiled and nodded. Rikku felt her knees start to shake, and she wished she wasn't wearing those pants that shook exaggeratingly along with them. "Well then, you must feel pretty lucky you came out for a midnight stroll when you did." She said. He shrugged.

"I was just coming for some sodas. My roommates are watching Van Helsing and since I don't like it, they sent _me _to go get the soda."

"What are you?"

"Apparently a soda boy."

"I mean freshman, sophomore…?" Rikku said with a grin.

"Junior."

"Then how'd you get the keys?"

"Janitors not a very smart guy. Anyway, I think I'm gonna ditch the guys and go uh… _liberate_ some food. Maybe if you go on another stroll I'll buy you some dinner."

"Maybe." Rikku said as calmly as she could manage. He gave a wave to her, and then disappeared into the shadows again. Rikku sighed and looked down at her Coke, then turned around. She ran into yet another person.

"Boo." He said.

"H-hey, Gip!" Rikku said. He gave her a half second smile then leaned away from her face.

"So, you just didn't feel like hanging out with _me_ right?" he said, sounding like he was teasing.

"No, I just came to get a soda." Rikku stated. He nodded, and then looked past her shoulder.

"Flavor of the week is _Aidan_?" he continued, in a slightly disgusted voice. Rikku frowned and looked behind her.

"What's wrong with Aidan?" Gippal screwed up his face.

"He's a complete flirt." He stated.

"And you're not?"

"Least I like the people I flirt with. He just flirts to… flirt. Betcha he's sexed up half the campus. _Including_ Yuna. And my little Cid's Girls gonna be next!" he got down on his knees dramatically, though there was a smile behind his eye. "Don't do it, Rik! This place is crawling with STDs! And he's got about five of them!" Rikku laughed and waved his outstretched clasped hands away, stepping down the hallway.

"Calm down. I'm not gonna have sex with him. Why're you so worked up anyway?" She turned back to him. Something about the way he avoided her eyes made her heart speed up. She furrowed her eyebrows and pressed her palm to the top of her breast where she could feel her irregular and quickened pulse.

"I dunno. I just don't want you're little golden heart to be broken by someone like _him_." He said, looked up at her with a smile. "Maybe someone like _me_, but not him."

"Oh really? And why _you_?" Rikku asked, crossing her arms.

"Because, I'd still love you even though I broke your heart. But that's just how _I_ am…" he suddenly looked confused. "See ya." He said, turning and brushing off around a corner. Rikku stared after him with her mouth slightly gaping. She eventually turned and went back to her room, gulping down some soda.

Rikku woke up late the next day. She looked over at Yuna and saw the shape of her body underneath the covers. She looked at the clock and saw that it was ten o'clock. She stretched out on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She then pulled out the remote to the TV and turned it on. The volume blasted and she nearly dropped the remote as she tried to turn it down. She finally got it to a low level and realized that she was watching the news. She settled back. Her friends had always thought it was weird that someone as care free as her liked to watch the news, but she liked to see what was going on in the area and in the world. Making up for her father, she guessed. She listened halfway about all these babies first birthdays and things like that and jumped when she saw a picture of someone she recognized. She squinted at it and tried to remember who it was, then listened to the people speaking.

"This college student went out around seven last night and hasn't come back. Her roommates say she would have called if she was held up and are worried something has happened to her. Again her name is Ann Conrad and please be on the look out." Rikku gaped at the screen for a few more minutes, and then leaped out or bed. She put on her fuzzy pink slippers and tied her hair up into a bun. She then rushed out of the room.

She got to Gippal's room and started banging on the door. A few seconds later, one of Gippal's roommates opened the door in nothing but a towel. Rikku scoffed in disgust and brushed past him. She walked over to Gippal's bed and poked his forehead repeatedly until he woke up. He stared at her with a confused expression, and then closed his eye again. Rikku scowled, then licked her pinky finger and shoved it in his ear.

"Eeew! Jeez, I'm up! Waddaya want, kid?" he asked, wiping his ear.

"What did you and Ann do last night?" she asked accusingly. He stared at her.

"You slobbered in my ear to ask me _that_?" he asked.

"Well, they just said on the news that she was missing." Rikku stated. By then, his two other roommates were staring in fascination at the fact that they had one of the most desired girls in their dorm room with one of them in only a towel. The sad part for them was that she wasn't paying any attention to them.

Rikku could've sworn she saw the hint of a smile on Gippal's face as he turned away and said,

"Is that so?"

"So, what do you know about it?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Nothing really." He said, turning to her with a smile she could definitely see this time. _Have his teeth _always_ been that big?_ Rikku wondered as she stared at his canines, scrutinizing them. She tilted her head in disbelief and then he stopped smiling, looking down at his plaid blanket. "Can I uh… go back to bed now?" he asked. Rikku sighed.

"Don't you realize that almost everyone is awake now?" she replied. He held up his arm to open up his cover.

"You're welcome to join me so I won't be so lonely." He said with a smirk that kept his mouth closed. Rikku scoffed, getting worried that she almost said yes.

"I don't think so." She said. She turned to go, but he took her wrist gently.

"Why not?" he asked, that same smile still on his face. It was making Rikku want to squirm out of his grip and run back to her own room and rant to Yuna about how she _must_ be PMSing.

"Because I'm a little worried if you might still have _wet_ dreams." She said, tugging her wrist out of his grip. Gippal's roommates let out a few short laughs. "And what's worse, if I sleep with you, you will most _definitely_ get one." She said with a grin. Without skipping a beat, she turned to Gippal's roommates and pointed her finger at them. "_Not_ the way you pervs think of." She turned back to Gippal. She bent down and kissed him on the cheek, surprising herself. _What…? _What_…? _Her subconscious voice screamed. _What the hell are you doing, Rik?_ "I'll see you later." She said, turning and sauntering casually from the room. When she got halfway down the hall, she started to run back to her room. She got in and quickly closed the door, leaning back against it and giving the wall across from her a baffled look.

"W-T-F?" she whispered to herself. She then slapped herself on the forehead for using IM talk.

"Morning." Yuna mumbled from her bed where she perched in a cross legged position. Rikku jumped and then grinned.

"Hiya! Sleep well?" she asked. Yuna nodded.

"You?"

"Sorta…" she said, trying to recall what dreams she had. "Hey guess what? The girl Gippal went out with last night is missing." She told Yuna. Yuna laughed.

"She probably left the country so she could have an excuse not to go out with him again. I can't believe _you_ did."

"That was five years ago! Let's get out of the past, Yunie!" she said, feeling color rise to her face. Yuna shrugged.

"You seem to miss 'the past' every once in awhile." Yuna said, putting air quotes around 'the past'. Rikku marched to her bed and threw the covers over her head to hide her red face. "So where'd you go?" she asked.

"I went to go see Gippal, tell him about Ann." Rikku mumbled into her pillows.

"Hmm, went to see _Gippal_ huh?" Yuna asked. Rikku hurled a pillow at her.

"What is _up_ with people lately?" she yelled. Yuna giggled as the pillow sailed by her head. Rikku was not particularly gifted in aim.

"Sorry. It's just that Gip has been _extra_ flirty with you lately. I mean, _more_ than usual." Yuna said, flipping a page in her book. "Maybe he's finally embraced the fact that neither of you _really _moved on." Rikku brushed her hair and tied it up again into a bun and put on a big yellow headband. She went to her closet and tugged out a denim skirt and a yellow shirt. The thing she loved most about living in Miami was that there was _always_ warm weather. She pulled them on and checked herself in a mirror. She put on some eyeliner and then put on flip flops and grabbed her bag.

"I'm going to get some breakfast. Want to come?" she asked. Yuna nodded slowly, and then put her bookmark in her book. Yuna was already dressed, as it was an obsession of hers to be ready for anything, including going out in the morning. She put some worn sneakers over her mismatched socks and got her bag. Rikku put on her huge sunglasses which Gippal called the movie star glasses. He always waved to everyone in a queenly way if she let him wear them. She gave them to him often, since it sent some girls into giggle fits if he waved to them, when really he wasn't paying attention to _who_ he was waving at, only to keep waving. It sent Rikku into near hysterics.

When they got to the cafeteria, Rikku nearly screeched and darted right back from whence she came. Sitting at the table with a few other gorgeous boys was none other than _Aidan_. Wasn't it coincidence that she never saw him before but now that she had met him last night he would be virtually _everywhere_? She staggered back a few steps and Yuna looked at her like she was due for a brain check. Rikku straightened and held her chin high and walked forward. She watched out of the corner of her eye, but Aidan didn't seem to turn to look at her at all. She growled inwardly and ate her breakfast while casting short glances at him, praying that no one would notice. In the back of her mind, she was also hoping Gippal would come in and ask her why she had done what she had. Even though she knew very well that he would never eat in the cafeteria. And that she wouldn't have a good answer.

Rikku was lounging in her bed later that afternoon. Saturday was always a blah day because that's the days when everyone catches up on sleep so they have enough energy for the night life later on. Yuna was out with Tidus for lunch, and Rikku was insanely bored. Sure, she had other friends in the college. But none that she wanted to hang out with really. So, she instead stared at the ceiling. For two hours.

Probably not, but it felt like a long time until she fell asleep. She felt a poking on her nose and woke up to see Gippal. He was scowling down at her.

"Someone… wants… to see you." He said between gritted teeth. Rikku blinked a few times and then sat up and looked out her door. Her eyes widened. She screeched and bolted to the door, shutting it quickly. She thought a moment, and then opened it again.

"Gimme a few minutes!" she said quickly, shutting it again and turning to Gippal. "You brought _Aidan_? Why didn't you warn me?!" she asked. Gippal shrugged.

"I thought maybe you looked as good as you do _all_ the time." He said with a grin. Rikku couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but it made her blush and straighten her tank top. She scuttled over to her mirror and started putting on some mascara. "How do you do it?" Gippal asked.

"Hm?"

"How do you _not_ poke yourself in the eye?"

"I do sometimes. You should see me with the eyelash curler. I _always_ clamp my eyelid with it." She said.

"Eyelash curler?" Rikku held up the small clamp. Gippal shuddered. "It looks like a death trap."

"It is. Beauty is pain." She tied her hair up into a messy bun, deciding to look more casual cute for now. She went to the door. "Ready?" she asked, gripping the knob. She didn't know why she was asking _him_. She was more asking herself. Gippal shrugged and lounged back on her bed.

"I was born ready, babe." He said. She opened the door and grinned at Aidan, then opened it wider to admit him in. He sauntered in and then grinned at Rikku, making her knees go weak.

"So someone told me you were checking me out this morning." He said, completely not acknowledging Gippal was there. Rikku gaped and glared at Gippal.

"Don't look at me…!" he said, putting his hands up in surrender. Rikku regained her composure and turned back to Aidan, who seemed to have just noticed Gippal.

"What's it to you?" she asked, crossing her arms and grinning mischievously at him. He turned back to her.

"Well, I also heard that you _love_ the night life, and I happen to be depressingly free tonight, so I've decided I'm going to give you the date of your life." He said. Rikku only stared for a minute.

"What?" she asked then. She could've sworn she had heard him say, "Marry me and make love to me daily so I will have at least twelve children to carry out my beauty and grace." She _prayed_ that that's what he had said.

"He's asking you out, tard." Gippal said impatiently from her bed. She glanced at him. It was a start.

"Well… I guess I could squeeze you in." she said with a grin.

"Good. I'll come by here later." Aidan said. Rikku gasped inwardly as he leaned down and kissed her gently. He winked at her when he got to the door and closed it behind him. Rikku started to gape and turned to Gippal stiffly. He turned his palms up towards the ceiling like he was saying, "What?" Rikku threw herself backward onto Yuna's bed and squealed, kicking her legs in the air.

"Ahhh! I'm going out with one of the sexiest people ever placed on this earth!" Gippal rolled his eyes. "Why're you in such a bad mood?" she asked. He shrugged, standing up.

"See you later." He said, leaving the room. Rikku stared at the door.

"Bye…" she whispered.

Rikku anxiously looked at the clock. It was seven thirty. She wondered what Aidan had meant by _later_. But she had been ready for almost two hours now and he still hadn't come. No one had. She was feeling pretty goddamn alone.

Rikku heard her door click open. She didn't even both to see who it was, because she knew it wasn't Aidan. She soon realized it was Gippal.

"He didn't come." She said, looking at the clock. It was now eleven fifteen. She had given up on him by now.

"Told you he was an ass." Gippal said sheepishly. Rikku rolled her eyes away from the ceiling to look at Gippal.

"What's that?'

"What?"

"_That_." Rikku said, pointing to face. "On your lip." He reached up his hand and wiped his lip. He stared down at the red smear on his hand.

"Oh… uh… my lips are chapped."

"How can your lips be chapped in warm weather?"

"Hey, it's October, it's getting colder." He stated defensively. Rikku shrugged and turned her TV on. Gippal got up, but Rikku grabbed his sleeve.

"Stay here! I don't wanna be all by myself!" she said.

"Why?"

"Because, there's a documentary on vampires tonight and I wanna watch it but I'm too scared to watch it alone. A vampire might get me!"

"What if _I_ was a vampire?" he asked with a grin. Rikku shivered involuntarily.

"I don't know…" she said, letting go of his sleeve. A strange though creeped into her mind. She always had pictured vampires as suave, sexy things. So… it wouldn't surprise her if he _was_ a vampire. She gasped when he pulled her against him.

"Are you _scared_?" he whispered in her ear. She wondered whether he meant if she was scared of the TV or of him. He bit down on her ear playfully, and she giggled nervously and pushed away from him.

"Are you high or something?" she asked. He stared dumbfounded at her for a minute, then grinned.

"Could be. You never know." He said, lounging against the bars at the foot of her bed.

Rikku had the strangest dream. She dreamed that Gippal was a vampire. She was _enjoying_ a make out session with him –to which she wondered why- when he bit down on her neck. The rest of the details were hazy, but she woke up with a gasp. She was in a panic. She ran to Yuna's bed and jumped on it.

"Yuna! _Yuna_! Gippal's a vampire! I know he is!"

**1 hour later**

"You get it?" Rikku asked. Yuna nodded.

"I still don't see what the fricken point of this is, but if it would make _you_ feel better, sure, why not?"

**3 hours later**

"Is he gone yet?" Yuna whispered into Rikku's ear. The next moment Gippal opened his door and walked briskly down the hallway.

"Okay let's go." Rikku said. They bolted from the corner they were hiding behind to his door, turning the knob and tumbling inside. They yanked open the closet door and bunched in.

"Now what?" Yuna asked. Rikku thought.

"Now we… wait for him to come back?" she said with a stupid grin. Yuna sighed and got comfortable, mumbling about him shooting up or something.

**30 minutes later**

Rikku heard the door click open and scuttled to the slits in the closet door. Gippal stepped inside and took off his shoes, tossing them under his bed. They watched him type on his laptop for what felt like ages until he closed it and picked up his cell phone. He scrolled through something until he put the phone to his ear. Rikku suddenly felt her pocket vibrate. Then, her ringtone started echoing loudly throughout the room.

"_SHIT_!" She yelled, groping the phone out of her pocket and ignoring the call. But, it was too late. Gippal had a puzzled look on his face. He stood up and walked over to the closet. He pulled it open and stared down at Rikku with a confused expression. He didn't even seem to notice Yuna. Rikku waggled her fingers up at him.

"Wassup buddy?" she said guiltily.

Rikku sat with her palms under her thighs on Gippal's bed. She didn't understand why Gippal kept _her_ there and not Yuna.

"So, why do _I_ have to stay?" she asked.

"Because I suspect this wasn't Yuna's plan, whatever this plan was. Practical joke or something." He said. He sounded angry, but Rikku didn't understand why. "So, why were you here?" he asked. Rikku thought for a second.

"A meteor hit my room, so we came in here looking for some tongs to toss it out the window." He stared at her stupidly for a moment. Then he waved his hands at her and turned away. She stood up. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go look for Aidan and act like nothing happened."

"Why do you fucking care so much about him?" Gippal asked. He was _definitely_ angry now.

"Why do you care that… _I_ care so much?" Rikku asked. Gippal jolted back as though she had slapped him. He seemed to have just realized what he had said to her.

"I don't care. Forget it." He said, turning away from her again. Rikku huffed and marched out of the room.

She hadn't been walking for two minutes when she turned a corner and ran headlong into someone. She stumbled back and rubbed her head.

"Jeez, watch where you're fricken going!" she said. She opened her eyes. This was almost too cliché for her to stand. "Oh… hi Aidan." She said. He grinned at her.

"Hey, sorry about last night, one of my professors made me come in and finish a project." He said. Rikku's heart sank. That was a lie if she had ever heard one.

"Doesn't matter. I hung out with Gippal all night anyway." It didn't seem exactly fair to use Gippal to get Aidan jealous, but who else was she going to use? Yuna?

"Well, I wanted to make it up to you, but I couldn't find you all morning, so I will now." He said. Rikku suddenly found herself backed up against the wall with Aidan's hands sliding along her waist. Soon after his lips came down on hers, his tongue jarring its way into her mouth. Rikku sighed. This was even better than she had imagined it. But, it was over as quickly as it had started. Her eyes fluttered open. Aidan was staring down at her with a smug look. "Did I make up for it?" he asked. Rikku shrugged.

"You could've tried harder. I bet you can do better than that." She said. That set him off again. Rikku's arms wrapped around his shoulders and he lifted her off of her feet. She could almost giggle she was so excited. When they finally pulled apart, Rikku was taking deep breaths. "Much better." She said with a grin.

Once Rikku got back to her room, she opened the door and jumped. Gippal was lying on her bed flipping through one of her journals. The same one that she wrote her "current problems" in the back of.

"Have fun out there with Mr. Weed 'n Speed?" he asked, not looking up from the journal.

"What are you _doing_?" Rikku asked, rushing over and ripping the journal from his hands.

"Waiting for you to come back. I was _going _to apologize to you. Then I saw you getting your hormone level up and decided not to."

"You see? Hah! I _knew_ you were jealous!" she said, pointing at him. He stood up and shrugged. He took a pen that was in his hand and put half of it in his mouth.

"I'm confiscating this." He said through the pen with a grin, strolling out the door and closing it behind him.

Once he was gone, Rikku opened the notebook and flipped to the back of the book. She wanted to make sure he hadn't seen anything she wouldn't want him to see. She read for a minute until she got to the bottom where she saw blue ink in someone else's handwriting.

_I love my best friend._

Rikku sighed as the notebook fell from her hands.

Rikku woke up the next morning, slamming her hand down on her alarm clock. _Monday_. The absolute _worst_ day of the week. She turned on the TV and watched the news.

"… Ann Conrad has been found and announced dead." Rikku froze. Dead? She sat forward and listened closely to the TV. "Conrad was missing for two days and was found this morning around three o'clock in a broom closet at her college." Rikku could have gagged. _Any_ dead person found in her general area was more than enough to scare the crap out of her. She didn't bother listening to the rest. She didn't care _how_ she died. It would just freak her out more.

Thinking about Ann's death made Rikku think about Gippal. And what he had written in her notebook. Thinking about Gippal made her think of Aidan. And thinking about Aidan made her think about the _very_ graphic dream she had about him last night. She leaped up and got into the shower, hoping to get her breakfast early.

Rikku bit into her apple just as someone sat next her.

"Hey." Said a deep boy's voice. Rikku didn't look away from the bite mark in her apple.

"Are you lost?" she asked, slowly turning her head to him. The guy had gray eyes, but those were basically the only attractive things about him.

"Um—uh—no, I was just… I'm Austin." He said. Rikku turned her head back to her apple.

"And I'm—"

"Rikku! I know." Austin stated.

"I was gonna say bored already, but that's what they call me on the streets." Rikku said, picking up her bag and walking away, tossing the rest of her apple into the trash.

Rikku's day went by slowly, and she went into her room and tossed her bag on her bed, laying facedown on her pillow next to it.

"Gippal came by earlier for you." Yuna said. "Said it was important. Sounded serious too." Rikku rolled over onto her back.

"I'm too tired to deal with guys tonight." She said. There was a period of silence between the two.

"So I heard you hooked up with Aidan yesterday." Yuna said.

"Yup." Rikku stated.

"Gosh, you're so evil. Poor guy…"

"What do you mean, 'poor guy'?" Rikku asked, turning her head towards Yuna.

"Not Aidan. I was talking about… never mind." Yuna turned back to her notebook. Rikku glared at her but turned her head back to face the ceiling. She didn't really feel like deciphering what the hell Yuna was talking about.

At around eight o'clock Rikku hauled herself out of her room to go see Gippal. She was going to be mature about this and not avoid him. When she got there, she was about to knock on the door when she stopped. Being mature was never her strong point. She was scared as hell to talk to him now since she was still trying to decide whether Aidan was for real or not. The last thing she needed was to get stuck in a love triangle with him and Gippal. She finally strained herself to knock on the door. A few seconds later, Gippal opened the door.

"Hey…" he said, opening the door wider. Rikku wandered in and sat on his bed, mumbling a hello.

"Yuna told me you came by." She said.

"Yeah… and now I can't remember why I needed to talk to you." Gippal said, rubbing the back of his neck. He walked over to his bed and pulled a thermal shirt over his head, then sat next to Rikku. "So, are you finally gonna have that date with _Aiiiidan_?" he said, saying his name in an extremely feminine way. Rikku shook her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Rikku…" Gippal said. He sounded serious, and Rikku took a deep breath before facing him. "I didn't forget what I was going to say. I just have to do this once." He said. He leaned over and pressed his lips to Rikku's. Rikku felt her insides quake. It felt like birds were beating their wings in her stomach. But it was a good feeling. She reached up her hand and put her fingertips on Gippal's cheek. He pulled away from her then, staring at the floor.

"Sorry." He said. Rikku shook her head, but he didn't see. On impulse, she reached out quickly and put one of her hands on his cheek again, turning his face towards her as she kissed him again. Moments later she felt his hands on her hips to pull her closer to him. She wasn't sure _what_ she was doing. She felt like she owed this. But she wasn't sure if she owed it to him or herself? Soon, they were both lying down on his bed, and Rikku was arching her back involuntarily against him. This was all moving quickly. Too quickly. Yesterday afternoon she was mad at Gippal and was making out with Aidan. Yesterday night she found out that Gippal might be in love with her. And today she was making out Gippal. And she _liked_ it. Her hands had slipped under his shirt and slid over his back, pulling his shirt up with her hands. She wondered if this would label her as a whore as she did that. Making out with two guys in two days. She pushed the thought away. She also wondered if she would ever have to choose between Aidan and Gippal. Of course she would. But she prayed it wouldn't be any time soon. She suddenly felt a sort of sadness roll over her like a wave, and she wondered where it came from until she found it was the lack of heat from Gippal rolling off of her. Rikku sat up and gave him a confused gaze. He let out a strangled laugh and looked down at his plaid covers.

"I only meant to kiss you once…" he mumbled. Rikku grinned and kissed him once more before leaving without another word. She didn't have to go over anything with him because he of all people knew that nothing was official until they decided on it. Rikku still had some things to figure out. Like why Gippal had fangs.

She burst into her room.

"Yuna! He _is_ a vampire! He has fangs! I felt them!" Rikku exclaimed, tugging the door closed behind her. Yuna put down her book.

"You _felt_ them…?" she said slowly, giving Rikku a look. Rikku shook her head.

"That's not the point! I'm cereal this time! He killed Ann Conrad, I betcha a million bazillion dollars!" she said quickly.

"Whatever, ghost bust on your own this time." Yuna said, turning back to her book.

"I can't ghost bust a vampire. There's a reason they're called the _Ghost_ Busters! Jeez, Yunie." Rikku said.

**.M.A.N.Y.B.L.O.N.D.E.M.O.M.E.N.T.S.L.A.T.E.R.**

"This is Rikku recording her adventures into the world of the unknown, and uncharted. _Vampires_! They've never been seen. Never been heard. But they're _there_! And they're in this very campus. And I'm gonna be the one to foil their plot to spread their _evil_ way of life…! Sometimes, you must choose the human race over a good make out." Rikku muttered to herself as she crept through the hallways. She was rewarded from her narrative by people giving her odd glances.

She finally got to the door of Gippal's room and stood to the side of it.

"I am outside enemy territory. The fortress is heavily guarded by _evil_ locks. And I'm sure only an _evil_ key can open it. Or perhaps a bobby pin. _HOWEVER_! What will happen, should the lock be booby trapped with _evil_ magic? Will I be," Rikku took in a dramatic gasp and threw her arms out wide as if requesting a hug, "BLOWN UP?!?!"

"Rikku?" Came a voice. Rikku stiffly turned her neck. It was one of Gippal's roommates. "Ummm… what the hell are you doing?" he asked. Rikku only stared for a moment. Then, she leaped at him and covered his mouth with her hand.

"_SHHHHHHH_! Do you want to thwart the plan? Do you want to give our position away? Huh? Answer me, probationer!"

"Crazy bitch! Gerrof of me!" His muffled voice screamed under her hand as he struggled with her. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"Men are such," she released him, "babies." She tossed her hair out of her face. "Your names… Josh, right?"

"Andrew…" he said.

"Yeah, whatever. Do you have your key with you?" She asked. Andrew nodded. "May I _please_ come in your room?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to do the right thing and save the human race instead of picking a good make out _one_ vamp at a time!" Rikku said quickly, holding her index finger in front of Andrews face. Andrew put his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh. Sometimes I wonder _why_ he likes you." He said, throwing the door open. Rikku waltzed in and turned to him at the door frame.

"I'll remember that comment." She said, closing the door behind her. She turned to her bag and checked to make sure she had everything she needed. She grinned. "Oooh, this is gonna be _sweet_!"

**15 minutes later**

Gippal opened the door and stopped in mid stride and mid bite of a cookie when he saw her sitting on his bed. He gave her a confused look and bit down on the cookie.

"Hi!" she said.

"Hey…" he replied after swallowing, kicking the door closed behind him.

"So, I made some food earlier today and thought I would share it with my _favorite_ buddy!" she said, reaching into her bag.

"Really?" Gippal said, sitting beside her. He sounded unimpressed. She bounced up and down on the few a few times by the way he flopped onto the bed.

"Yup. Hey, how come there are no windows in your room?" She asked as she fumbled through her bag. Gippal shrugged.

"Maybe because… my room is in the center of the dorms?" he asked. Rikku rolled her eyes at him and tugged out the food she had brought.

"Tada! Homemade _garlic_ bread!" she said, holding it out to him. He made a face.

"Um… did you make anything else?" he asked. She tried to look crestfallen.

"No…" she said, sniffling.

"Sorry, sorry! What can I do, _instead_ of eating the bread?" he asked.

"Well you could…" Rikku reached into her bag again, "pray the rosary with me!" she said, holding the circle of beads in front of him. He gave her another look.

"Rikku… you're not even Christian." He stated. "And neither am I."

"What if I'm _trying_? Gosh, work with me here!" Rikku said, dropping the rosary beads into her bag.

"Rikku… is something… _wrong_?" Gippal asked hesitantly.

"Yes! I'm trying to be a hero! And Yuna told me to ghost bust. _Ghost bust_! Can you _believe_ her?" Rikku asked. Gippal slowly shook his head.

"So… why are you coming to me?" he asked. She thought. Nothing wrong with a little honesty sometimes, right?

"I thought you might be a… a vampire." She mumbled. He was silent for a few seconds. Then, he burst out laughing.

"You-you thought I was a _what_?" he said. "That documentary really got to your head!" he said. Rikku stiffened. Maybe it _was_ just the show getting to her head. That must be it. Why would she think that Ann had died because of Gippal? Gippal was a little psychotic, but he wouldn't kill anyone… who didn't deserve it. She let out a strangled laugh.

"Yeah. I guess so." She said with a confused look directed at the ground. She was trying to make sense of her recent mental spazz. She suddenly felt cold fingers on the side of her face. Her neck was slowly turned, and just as she had turned to Gippal, his lips touched down on hers. They were much warmer than his hands.

Rikku felt awkward. Usually with guys she knew exactly what to do, because most are the same. Most guys like the same things. But when it came to Gippal, she didn't know what to do at all. Her hands were flopped in her lap. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. He always dodged her if she tried to touch his hair. Is that an exception if they're kissing? Things are confusing.

Before Rikku could figure out what to do with her hands, Gippal tugged away from her.

"Dammit…" he mumbled unhappily.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing… uh. Anyway. Was that all you needed to know? If I was a vampire or not?" he asked. Rikku nodded. She stood up, realizing he was trying to find a way to get her to leave.

"I have to go uh… finish some homework up." Rikku said, shuffling out of the room.

She made her way to the cafeteria and got a Gatorade out of the vending machine. When she turned around, there was a pair of eyes staring straight at her. She gasped and jumped back a little bit.

"Surprise!" Aidan said.

"God, how does this always happen?" Rikku asked her Gatorade. Aidan looked confused. "Nevermind. So, what's up?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I needed to talk to you about some stuff. It sorta seemed like you wanted a… _serious_ relationship. And then some people said you were makin' out with that kid who only has one eye. And, it's just not really sexy if one night you're getting laid with me and the next night you're getting laid with that guy. So, what's up?" he asked. Rikku felt stunned.

"_Laid_?" She spluttered. Aidan's head went back in confusion. "That's all you're thinking about is getting _laid_?" she repeated.

"Well—what are _you_ thinking about?" he asked.

"I don't even know! I'm thinking that I met this really hot guy that maybe I could be in some sort of relationship with and then my best friend jumps in and I have no _idea_ what I'm thinking anymore!"

"Well, what are you thinking about us?"

"I'm thinking, maybe it's not what I thought in the first place." Aidan still looked confused. "Translation: fuck off buddy!" Rikku said, pushing past Aidan. She walked through hallways for a long time until she decided to stop and figure out what she was going to do. She slid down to the floor and unscrewed the top of her Gatorade, taking a sip from it. "What the hell are you doing anymore, Rikku?" she asked herself.

"Not sure, you really confuse me." Rikku looked up. A silhouette of who was obviously Gippal stood in front of her. She frowned at him.

"Me too." She mumbled.

"So," Gippal said, "is Mr. Aidan not all he was cracked up to be?" He sat down next to her. She shook her head. "Well there _is_ a reason he has AID in his name. I believe he was solely made for the purpose of spreading his disease." He said. Rikku giggled a little, and then hesitantly leaned her head on his shoulder. He picked up a cup and took a sip from it. Rikku looked at the dark red liquid and suddenly felt the warrior in her struggle up for one last stand.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"The thing you're drinking."

"Oh. Pomegranate juice." He said. Rikku sighed.

"I've never had that before." She stated. She suddenly saw the cup come into her view. She took it slowly and put it to her lips, taking a small sip of it. It was just about the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. She handed it back to him.

"That tastes _really_ good." She said. He put it down.

"Not as good as you." He said, kissing her softly. Rikku giggled.

"Did you get that out of 'Flirting for Dummies'?" she asked. He shrugged.

"It was the first thing that came to mind." He said. Rikku unscrewed her Gatorade bottle and held it up in front of her.

"To pomegranate juice." She stated, looking at Gippal expectantly. He grinned and picked up his cup, doing the same as her.

"Pomegranate juice."

**Cheesy! Anyway, pomegranate juice happens to be **_**my**_** favorite juice, so I had the idea of Rikku thinking it was blood for a long time. Anyway, this was a nightmare to write mainly because this year I want to get a Rippal Xmas fic out **_**before**_** it comes and goes, and this took me about a month and a half. Anyway, I hope this wasn't too horrible. R&R please! This is Ginny, signing out.**


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